Aenar
The Aenar are a subspecies of the Andorians, native to the Northern Wastes of Andoria. Their population is believed to number less than 4000. Biology The Aenar are physiologically very similar to the Andorians, being a genetic offshoot that adapted to life in underground caverns beneath the surface. Like Andorians, they have two antennae, although Aenar antennae have small indentations in the tips. They have no skin or hair pigmentation, resulting in a pale ice-blue/white appearance similar to human albinos. The most distinctive trait of the Aenar is their highly evolved telepathic abilities. An Aenar is capable of reading minds and of psychically projecting itself to other humanoids. They use telepathy to communicate amongst themselves and with other species, rarely using vocalised speech. Many Aenar are also complerely blind, but have the ability to "see" via telepathic echolocation. Some Aenar also possess the ability to remotely control certain technological devices, if their abilities are amplified by technological means. Also like Andorians, the Aenar are composed of four sexes, and a union between all four sexes, an act known as the shelthreth, is required for procreation. Two of the sexes, thaan and chan, are approximately masculine, and the other two genders, zhen and shen, are approximately feminine. Most Aenar accept the terms "male" and "female", and the pronouns "she/her" and "he/him", while dealing with binary-gendered species. Aenar are sexually compatible with Andorians, and some Andorians have ancestors who were at least 1/4 Aenar. Hybrids and their descendants often display diminished telepathic abilities, but suffer from poor eyesight. History and Culture Little is known about Aenar history. It is believed that the Aenar are descended from early Andorians who migrated into underground caverns during one of Andoria's ice ages. They developed independently of the Andorians, with their own language and culture, but seemed to remain at a similar level of technological development, despite lacking any detailed knowledge of the world above the surface. Andorian archaeologists and ice-cave explorers have discovered the ruins of huge cities far below the surface, and it is believed that the ancient Aenar abandoned these cities and moved to smaller settlements nearer the surface as their population declined There were very few interactions between the Aenar and Andorians until the 22nd century. Some Aenar ventured above the surface and were treated as freaks, whereas some Andorians travelled below the surface and were accepted into Aenar society. The Andorians long considered the Aenar to be a myth, on par with myths of Sasquatch or 'Hollow Earth' theories in human culture, until geodesic surveys revealed their underground cities in 2104, after which official contact was made. Frosty diplomatic relations are maintained by both governments. Most Andorians in the 22nd century lived their entire lives without seeing an Aenar in the flesh. In 2154, the Aenar were dragged into interstellar politics when members of their species were kidnapped by the Romulans and used to remote control drone ships. The Romulans experimented on their Aenar captives as part of their unsuccessful attempts to restore their own latent telepathic abilities, but all Aenar prisoners were returned at the conclusion of the Earth-Romulan War. The Aenar remained reclusive even after Andor joined the United Federation of Planets. They are particularly skilled harmonic engineers, making important contributions to the development of deflector shield technology throughout the 23rd century, but they rarely leave their caverns in person. The Aenar population had dwindled to only a few hundred by the 2370s, as part of the wider Andorian population crisis. It was widely speculated that the Aenar were facing extinction. When a solution was discovered to the Andorian population crisis, it benefitted the Aenar as well, and their population has been slowly recovering since 2380. The remains of a huge Aenar city was located by Andorian scientists in 2381, and it is still being analysed for information that might help to build a greater understanding of ancient Aenar culture.